


3 Ways to Fall

by WolfaMoon



Category: The Magnificent Seven (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Wings, Choose Your Own Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt Ezra, Hurt Ezra Standish, Hurt/Comfort, Major Character Injury, Wingfic, Wings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-21
Updated: 2013-04-21
Packaged: 2017-12-09 03:49:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/769627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolfaMoon/pseuds/WolfaMoon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Will it be one? Should it two? Or must it be three? Read and Decide.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Fall

Chapter 1: The Fall  
3 Ways to Fall

By: Wolfa Moon

Disclaimer: Don't own anything. Just trying to find music to listen to write to. And this idea popped into my imaginative mind while listening to this. Hope you enjoy.

'Freedom Fighters – Two Steps From Hell

From the Star Trek Trailer

Ezra stood on the high cliff and looked down into the deep dark. The dreams had come and the inevitable was about to happen. The dark had frightened him for a week straight. Every time he closed his eyes the sight was this. A cliff with the deepest drop off he had ever seen. Deeper then the Grand Canyon. He wasn't frightened to look down it. It was what he could barley see in the dark. Voices shouted his name. Not the welcoming shout, this one full with a desperate plea. Urging him forward to the edge the voices tore at his heart.

"Ezra" the only word spoken from the dark. Closing his eyes he could still hear the cry in the dark. The days meant nothing to him in that week. That week all he could do was try to see through the dark and listen to the voices. Around him he knew his friends begin to worry about him. The mask slipping when Chris called his name aloud at the end of the week. Voices in the dark. Bad men were coming. We needed to protect our town. Head them off before they get even close to home.

The ride had blurred pass him. The strategy of how to deal with the culprits fell onto deaf ears. Chris appointed Ezra as look out with Vin. Storm clouds creped along the sky. Soon it would pour. It always began to rain when he stood on the edge of the cliff in his dream. There was more than one storm about to begin. The marauders came from the north and us from the south. Both colliding in thunder and the rain of bullets. Lightening flashed over the horizon. Vin had ran out of long range bullets and went done to fight with the rest of their group. Frozen to the spot he watched them fight. There he stood on the edge of the cliff. Wind blew around him. The rain began to pour. His dream becoming a reality. Looking down he saw his friends pinned down behind some boulders. The villains from the north reloading with a continuous rain of bullets. There numbers matched ours now. But they had the ammo. Ezra looked up into the rain. Closing his eyes.

"EZRA!" was shouted carried on the wind to him. His coat as recognizable as the setting sun. Red with unshed blood. Knowing what he must look like up on the cliff. A great target. No one noticed him from the north. Ezra looked to his friends. Some lay shot, others helping the fallen, the last fighting to the end. Wind blew through him. He would not make it there in time to save them if he went the way Vin did. The deep valley called to him. Lightning flared trough the sky illuminating the dark. No fear. Standing on the edge he made his mind up. Hoping this wouldn't be for the last. But if it is. He moved back from the edge. Pulling out his fully loaded guns he breathed.

"EZRA!" was shouted on the winds again. Chris' anger evident in the voice or was it a call for help. The rain washed down on him. Cleansing him.

"I'm coming." he spoke to the wind silently. His friends would not hear it. But the storm did. The rain fell harder. The wind blowing harder. Coming from all four directions. Closing his eyes the dark called. He moved. Running toward the edge never slowing down. As fast as his steed he ran with all his heart. The edge came. No fear. He leapt. His storm cloud had entered with it's red streak. His rain fell down on the final hoodlums. Each falling with each lightning strike.

"EZRA!" was shouted again. That was the one from his dreams. No fear. The earth smiled at him. The threat gone, he smiled back. Splaying his arms out the winds blew under him. Wishing him to stop falling so fast. It didn't matter. What mattered is he saved his friends lives. And the cost wasn't great. A week of sleepless nights leading to this. This moment. Eyes open he watched all. Earth came toward him. No fear. He should have been frightened. He knew that. He wasn't afraid anymore. In the dark there was nothing to fear. For this moment. Eyes open the ground came.

Three Ways to Fall.

Will it be one?

Should it two?

Or must it be three?

You decide. Tell me which one you believe to be the truest way Ezra fell. Thank you for reading and your support.


	2. Will It Be One?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Don't own anything. Just trying to find music to listen to write to. And this idea popped into my imaginative mind while listening to this. Hope you enjoy.
> 
> 'Freedom Fighters – Two Steps From Hell
> 
> From the Star Trek Trailer

Chapter 2: Will It Be One?  
3 Ways to Fall

By: Wolfa Moon

Way To Fall: One

The ground came.

He hit the earth. There was nothing. No pain. His duty completed. The dream fulfilled. Saving his friends lives.

"Ezra!" a hand lifted his head from the moist earth. "Ezra." Not scream this time. So much emotion there though. Lost in the light. Opening his eyes he spotted the man that gave him a second chance. Smiling wide he stared at him. The blood spilling from the side of his mouth. Wiped away with a gentle hand. No pain. Not anymore. "You did good Ezra." the smile never leaving his face. The rain stopped. And he had done a good job. He fulfilled his dream.

"Ezra." a voice softly calling him on the winds. Looking to the south the sun was peaking through the fading storm clouds. The smile returned to his face as the sun hit. He looked one finale time to his friends. All gathered around their fallen.

"Ezra." Chris wiped the rain from his face. His voice pleading with him to stay. The other voice calling him with the warmest of rays.

"I did good." the light faded from his happy filled eyes. Chris tightened his hand around the Gamblers neck. Collapsing down on top of him. Sorrow filled him. Crying at the lost. Thanking him for being a part of his life. He rested his head done on Ezra's broken chest. Buck came over next and helps fix the jacket with his one good arm. Straitening and buttoning up the buttons of the trademark red jacket. Vin taking a place at the head straightening Ezra's hair. Making it as perfect as Ezra always seem to do naturally. Nathan supported Josiah as he broke at seeing his fallen adopted son. J.D. collapsed against Buck. His poor heart crying at the lost. All gathered around their fallen friend. The sun shined down on them. Rain drying up around them. Life faded with the rain. And so did a bit of each of the remaining six.


	3. Should It Be Two?

2 : Should It Be Two?

Way to Fall: 2

The ground came.

His arms splayed out. The wind blowing all around him never hitting the ground. The ground moved up away from him. He went higher and higher into the air. Bodies of the dead he killed grew farther and farther away. Into the sky he went. His name shouted at him.

"EZRA!" looking down he saw his friends standing freely in the breaking sunrays. He smiled, the sun had arrived. Sun from the south gleamed off something to his right. Looking over he saw the brown of feathers turning goldish red in the free sun. The winds begin to die around him. He descends. Was it a bird that had grabbed him? Saved him from the fall to his death. Turning his head away from the sun he looked behind him. There was no bird. An old never used part of him turned on. Closing his eyes he felt the wings flap around him to keep him elevated. Wings. Did he dare let that part of his mind work? Closing his eyes he followed the string and pulled it. The wings flapped again. There was no bird, only him. He was the bird. Stretching the string out he extended his wings. What else could they be? Winds elevated him a little again. The current letting him soar. Looking to the ground. No fear. He had no fear of this odd spectacle. He should. But he didn't. Just accepted. Down below his friends watched him. They had seen this. And they needed him. He let the current loft him one final time. That's high enough. The string that he attached to use his wings he pulled close. Bringing the wings in close to his body. Feeling them touch his side. They extended all the way to his calf. He descended quickly. The ground rushed toward him. Smiling as he descended. A thought of what would have happened if the wings had not appeared flashed through his now open accepting mind. He would be dead. And there would be six. The ground came. His friends holding hands up so they could see him fly, descend.

"Ezra!" the shout came through his thoughts. The ground was close. To close you might think. The cliff he jumped from had just past. That is close enough, he thought. He spread his wings and turned upright. Legs hopefully set so when he lands it will be on two feet.

His feet made contact with the earth. He stumbled as he touched down. Strong arms steadied him. Looking at the help he saw Chris.

"Thank you." Ezra, ever the gentleman. Chris stared at him. Would they accept him like this? The string tightened again. The wings resting along his back.

"Welcome. Thank you." Chris was to stunned to speak. His cheat had jumped off a cliff to his death. Sprouted wings, defeated the enemy, and just landed like an angel sent from the heavens. "You alright Ezra?" the two looked into each other's eyes. Wondering what the other was thinking.

"Perfectly." the others came closer. Buck being helped by J.D.. Josiah being supported by Nathan. Vin appeared on the other side of him. He looked to the men.

"Ez, you're an angel." the youngest of them spoke.

"I would have to disagree with you there J.D."

"Care to explain this." Chris' voice came through the vibes of wonder that surrounded him

"I can't." he couldn't. They met his mother and she had no wings. And Ezra wouldn't know even if they asked him. And his father there was a book as blank as a cloud. Looking at his friends to see that they still accepted him. He looked to Vin. The question asked through his eyes. Do you accept me? Vin nodded. How could he refuse a man, bird, angel, who jumped off a cliff to save them. With no knowledge that this would happen. Also with his native upbringing who was he to judge the great elders and their magic's on men. He looked to Buck and J.D. The two as close as blood brothers. Buck nodded. J.D. stared in awe.

"Mister Dunne?" in his voice holding the question. J.D. stared into Ezra's eyes long and hard. The kid smiled.

"You have wings. You saved our lives. Who am I to judge?" Ezra smiled back. The last two. One would accept and the other was a hard stone to crack. His eyes scanned the two men. Josiah took a step closer to the man he called son. Nathan right beside him supporting. Josiah put out a hand and felt the wings over his right shoulder. The touch was different from anything Ezra felt before. Shuddering at the sensation.

"How do you feel?" so many questions held in a phrase that no one else was brave enough to ask. Ezra smiled at him.

"Good." he shrugged making the wings raise a little too.

"Good." Josiah pulled his son toward him. "Would have missed you if you left." there also contain a message, don't leave. We'll be there for you, as the arms tightened around him. Ezra returned the hug. His wings conforming around the man in an ancient instinct. Ezra pulled back from him. Now to the stone. Nathan approached slowly.

"Do they hurt?" the doctor coming through on him.

"No. They are quite comfortable." he took another step forward. Josiah kept a supportive hand on Ezra's shoulder. And also to keep him standing.

"You still ain't no angel." Ezra smiled.

"Never claimed I was." the two nodded to each other. Nathan would be there. They were a group, a family. And Ezra is a part of this family. A tap on the wings made him turn to face their leader.

"You may not be an angel but you did good." Ezra smiled at that. The string in his mind tightened tighter. The wings retracted to their secret folds in his back. A gasp went through the group. Even Ezra gasped as the wings that were there retracted fully into his back. He smiled at his family.

"Don't worry. They're still there. And they will be back when needed." Vin chuckled.

"Just don't go jumping off any cliffs anytime soon."

"I shall endeavor not to." the group accepted and they would protect each other. They are a family. And theirs had a gambling angel.


	4. 4: Or Must It Be Three?

4: Or Must It Be Three?

Way To Fall: Three

The ground came.

His guns had killed the evil. Hitting the ground. The air forced from his lungs. He began to fight for air. Turning over the rain fell onto his face. He prayed for the first time in a long time to a God he dared to seek out once before. The past memories of war stealing his faith away. You can live without faith. But you need hope to live. Hope that there are better things in this world to live for. He breathed in the much needed air. Closing his eyes against the pain he heard voices calling to him. Calling his name over and over again in a mantra. Someone saying Ezra as if praying. Another calling as if playing. And a third urging him. Hands tightened on him holding him down as another wave of pain ran through him. His body fought the hands. The fall must have hurt him more than he thought. Of course it should hurt if he survived. He had jumped off a steep cliff. Thrashing against the pain the rain pelted upon his face. Cooling away the heated pain surrounding him. Winds blew around him. The hands never letting him go. He wanted to open his eyes. To see the survivors of the confrontation. So hard to do this simple action. Pain ripped through him as the lighting streaked across the dark clouds. Thunder shaking the ground beneath him. Then a voice called through the darkness and pain.

"Fight Ezra, fight!" such fierce words. Winds blew trying to hide the words form his ears. Then again the voice called.

"Don't you dare give up on us." the winds died down. They could not stand up to the competition.

"EZRA!" the voice shouted. Pain teared through him again. He prayed for death. The voice though called to him. Screamed at him. Urging him. "Fight." Concentrating he fought through the pain. A scream ripped from his lips.

"STOP!" he cried out. The pain ceased. Rain stopped and the sun began to shine down on his face. Sun dried the rain from his exhausted face. Pain a memory. Taking in a deep breath, he breathed. He had fought and won.

"Ezra?" the voiced asked. A hand lay on his forehead. The person didn't block the sun from his skin. Smiling he let the sun dry the rain away. "Ezra, answer me."

"So impatient." he croaked to the voice that spoke. The voice he now recognized as one Chris Larabee.

"Then let's get you up."

"I jumped." Ezra kept his eyes closed listening as men moved around him.

"Yes you did. You saved them."

"Them?" Ezra fought now to open his eyes. Sun be damned.

"Yes the Potter children. You remember?" He shook his head. Pain pierced but he remained clear. Knowing that Nathan probably quieted Chris to see how much he remembered of recent events. So the seven were safe. Him just a little worse or wear.

"What happened?" He damned that he couldn't open his eyes. He wanted to see where he was. Was he at the bottom of a cliff? A Texas drawl spoke from his left.

"You jumped." ok at least that part is true of the, was it a dream. "They were holding onto the log that crossed the river. You and I were on patrol when we spotted them. The two hanging on for dear life. We had grabbed Emmet out but little Alice could not hold on." This is the most I think I ever heard from Vin in one seating. But he knew the details. As Ezra could not remember and the rest were not there. "We'll the river pulled and you secured a rope around yourself and jumped into the freezing cold water. You saved her."

"Also didn't help that you were shot not over two weeks ago." the assassin against Mary. "Told you to keep him in town but no. Ezra a big boy he can handle riding patrol." Nathan our mother hen and caregiver spoke heated to their leader.

"The girl?" someone brought water to his parched throat.

"Safe and at home." Josiah had said from his spot. Wherever that may be.

"And me?"

"Nathan's clinic." Buck spoke. He spoke first and loud. The urge to acknowledge he was there too and supporting him was evident in his plea of where they are. Ezra breathed deep. He needed to see. Light still shined on his face. His mind still at the bottom of the cliff. Green eyes opened to the reality around him. He was as Buck had informed him in Nathan's clinic. They are in Four Comers. Their home. Ezra's eyes looked to each of the gunman. They smiled at him. So many questions. But just really one.

"Am I dreaming?" Chris took a hold of his hand.

"No. You just been sick." Ezra stared into those hazel eyes. Seeing nothing but he truth, and the worry they must have gone through the past couple of days.

"So the dream is a dream." Ezra closed his eyes. The hand tightened.

"You okay?"

"Yes." Ezra smiled. "I'm home."

The End

Three Ways to Fall.

Will it be one?

Should it two?

Or must it be three?

You decide. Tell me which one you believe to be the truest way Ezra fell. Thank you for reading and your support.


End file.
